Editor’s notes

Volunteering has its own rewards

Dave Eck • Director of Communications

In my early teens I had several orthopedic surgeries and ended up with three separate week-long stays in Cincinnati’s Good Samaritan Hospital over two years. Though there were always plenty of visitors my favorite was a kind lady who brought around a cart full of games, puzzles and small toys for patients. I always selected a book. She wasn’t paid – at least not monetarily. Her reward was the joy she brought to young people who would rather have been almost anywhere else.

There were other volunteers, too, such as the candy stripers who brought get-well cards and the folks at the reception desk in the lobby. As I recovered, I always ventured down to the ground floor to visit them.

Those 40-year-old memories rekindled as I spent time with Sister Mary Ann Mozser walking the halls and visiting with the people she manages in her own unpaid job as coordinator of volunteer services at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland. After retiring as the medical center’s vice president of mission and ministry, she stepped into her current role. If you ask her why she continues to work as a volunteer at St. Vincent, she’ll tell you it’s because she loves the people and the place. That’s what you hear from most volunteers. They give because they love it.

You’ll find out more about Sister Mary Ann’s passion for St. Vincent, Cleveland and religious life in our cover story.

We also share the story of Sister Margo Young, a physician who reaches out to the most vulnerable in one of the poorest cities in the United States. As director of community health for St. Bernardine Medical Center and nearby Community Hospital of San Bernardino in California, Sister Margo connects health care resources to the patients who need them. One of her accomplishments is the establishment of a free clinic in San Bernardino. There she and other health care providers volunteer their time to those in need.

Finally, we introduce six Sisters of the Precious Blood who are celebrating milestone anniversaries of religious life. They were honored on Jubilee weekend July 2-3 as Sisters of the Precious Blood from around the United States, Chile and Guatemala returned “home” to Dayton for a few days to socialize and celebrate as family. Congratulations, Jubilarians, and thank you for a combined 380 years of service to God’s people.